On the first day of school, Tina’ s teacher told the class, “Everyone of you will have a turn to be the Terrific (极好的) Kid of the Day!”

All year, Terrific Kids celebrated their special days in special ways, but Tina hoped her turn would never come.

When Ben was the Terrific Kid, his aunt Sarah taught the class how to draw funny cartoon faces. Tina didn’t have aunts. When Ken was the Terrific Kid, his twin baby sisters came to school. Tina didn’t have sisters or brothers. When Curtis’s turn arrived, his family came to school. Curtis’s mom baked cakes. Curtis’s father was a gardener and gave every child a plant. Curtis’s grandmother taught the class a song. Tina didn’t have a dad or grandmother.

After school that day, Tina walked to the library for Story Hour. Mrs. Kaplan, the children’s librarian, greeted Tina with a bright smile. “Today’s story is about your favorite animal, Tina!”

A dog story! Tina loved dogs, but wasn’t allowed to have pets.

“Will you work the puppet (手偶) while I read the story?” Mrs. Kaplan asked Tina.

The little black and white dog puppet felt soft. Tina liked it so much. So when Mrs. Kaplan read Tina’s favorite dog story, Tina moved the dog puppet alongside.

After Story Hour, Tina waited until 7: 00 for her mom to pick her up. That night, Tina kept thinking about being a Terrific Kid. “I hope my turn never comes,” Tina thought.

Sure enough, Tina’s turn came. When she told Mrs. Kaplan that the next day was her turn to be the Terrific Kid, she had tears in her eyes. When Tina’s mom arrived, Mrs. Kaplan asked her into her office to chat while Tina waited.

On the way home, Tina and her mom stopped at Tico Tony’s for hot dogs. Tico Tony noticed Tina’s sad face. “Hey, Tina! What’s up?” Tico Tony listened while Tina told him about her Terrific Kid day. “We think you’re a Terrific Kid.” He smiled and, winked (眨眼示意) knowingly at her mother.

That night, Tina’s mom stayed up late baking cookies.

Then, the day arrived. Tina walked slowly to school with her mom. Her Terrific Kid day wouldn’t be terrific-just cookies.

Para l. When Tina and her mom got to her classroom, there was a sign on the door, reading “Tina____________

Para 2. “We came to honor our friend on her special day,” Mrs. Kaplan said.

Grandma Liang goes to see her granddaughters every Saturday afternoon. Each time, Grandma Liang brings wonderful gifts: either toys or candies. Her granddaughters, Vera and Gina, are expecting for her visiting.

One Saturday afternoon when Grandma Liang rang the doorbell, Vera and Gina hurried to answer the door. Seeing Grandma Liang brought a pack o fcards, they were glad with joy. They enjoyed themselves so much that thewhole afternoon had passed before they knew it.

At the end of the day, Grandma Liang had dinner with the family. During the dinner, Vera and Gina heard that next Saturday would be Grandma’s birthday, and Mom and Dad would hold a birthday party for her.

They looked at each other secretly and left the dinning hall immediately. ”We have to do something for Grandma’s birthday, Gina decided. “But what?” asked Vera. They thought over and over, but nothing came into their mind.

Then Mom Nancy found them two missing and came to their room to see what had happened. When she entered their room, she found them downhearted. “What’s wrong with you? What makes you two so down and quiet?” asked Nancy.

“Mom, we really wanted to give Grandma something special for her birthday,” Gina said. “But nothing we thought of would do,” added Vera. Hearing that, Grandma Liang came in and held the kids in her arms, saying, “Oh, kids, don’t you know you two are the best gifts I could ever ask for?”

Hearing these words, a good idea hit Gina.

About an hour later, the two came out with a picture.

It was a heartbreaking moment when my husband Bruce passed away in the late fall. Then deciding what to do with his garden was way down on the list of necessary tasks. During the first few months, I cried with our family, planned a memorial, celebrated a quiet Thanksgiving, and panicked over not having bought Christmas presents.

As the new year began, the often rainy days and long nights deepened my sorrow. I found myself exhausted at the end of February, both physically and mentally. Then the daffodils (水仙花) came out in the garden.

Years before, Bruce had planted dozens of these lemon-yellow flowers. To him, they served as a reminder of hope, a promise that light and warmth would soon replace cold and dark. Looking at those daffodils, I thought about how Bruce had considered our garden a living work of art, carefully choosing plants so we’d see new blooms every month.

Then I noticed all the weeds that had taken root and spread everywhere. The neglect (疏于打理) showed, for Bruce’s illness had lasted a couple of years, a time when he didn’t have energy for yard work the way he had before.

Faced with the neglected garden, I felt at a loss how to deal with the garden in the beginning. My daughter suggested I hire a person to clean and tidy everything up. I didn’t respond.

Every time I sat in the garden alone, the memories of the lively garden came flooding, like the numerous scenes in an unforgettable film. I was reminded of so many days when Bruce came home from work, put on old clothes, and headed out of the door to mow or prune (修剪). Orange dragonflies followed him around the yard as he worked. Honeybees buzzed among the flowers, birds sang beautiful songs, and gentle breezes carried the sweet smell of earth. No matter how cold or wet it was, the fresh air and physical activity made him energized and refreshed. For Bruce, the work was quiet and comforting, which was a relief, as well as a pleasure.

“I should tend the garden well on my own,” I though to myself.

The garden was so full of vitality (生机) that I expected others to appreciate it with me.